Seven Central football players receive first team all-league distinction
Central Dutch Athletics
PELLA — Led by a core of five seniors, a total of seven Central College football players landed on the all-Iowa Conference first team that was announced Thursday.
The Dutch were tied for the league lead in first team picks, matching conference champion Wartburg College.
On offense, wide receiver Sam Markham (senior, Atlantic) was named for the third year in a row while left tackle Cal Smith (senior, Orland Park, Ill., Carl Sandburg HS) and s-back Kyle Gritsch (senior, Brooklyn, BGM HS) were first-time choices.
Defensively, both of Central’s dynamic inside linebackers, Sam Norgaard (senior, Naperville, Ill., Neuqua Valley HS) and Tyler Olson (senior, Mapleton, Minn., Maple River HS) were selected. Punter Tyler Bryant (junior, Donnellson, Central Lee HS) and kicker Jon Alberts (sophomore, Huntley, Ill.) rounded out the seven selections.
In eight conference games, Markham piled up 116.8 yards per game. He also had 11 touchdown catches, tied for the most in the league. In total, he had 53 caches for 934 yards. Against Loras, he set a school record with four touchdown catches while needing just five grabs for 201 yards.
The team’s hybrid s-back, Gritsch lined up in the backfield, tight end and as a wide receiver. He finished with 32 catches for 512 yards and four scores. He finished top-15 in the league in all three categories. His one and only rushing attempt of the season was a one-yard touchdown against Dubuque.
Smith was the left tackle for the top total offense in the conference, averaging 476.1 yards per contest. As an offensive line unit, the Dutch allowed only six sacks in eight league games. Central was also tied for second with 185 first downs. Center Josh Brunk (senior, West Des Moines, Valley HS) was key to the offensive line as well and earned second team all-league recognition.
Olson led the conference in total tackles with 91, averaging 11.4 over eight games. He had 33 solo stops and 58 assisted tackles. Twice named the league’s defensive player of the week, Olson was honored after his 20-tackle performance in the season’s penultimate game.
Third in the league in total tackles, Norgaard accumulated 86 tackles despite playing only six conference contests. His average of 14.3 stops per game topped the conference. He also had 33 solo tackles and earned one conference player of the week honor in 2017.
With 10 field goals in 12 attempts, Alberts was the only conference kicker to make double-digits. His 35 point-after attempts were also tied for first in the league and helped him score 65 points, eight more than the second-best kicker. Alberts was the league special teams performer of the week three times.
Bryant averaged 40.9 yards per attempt after firing off a total of 33 kicks. He accumulated a total of 1,350 yards, including a season-long 69-yard punt against Wartburg College on October 7. His efforts against Luther College earned him his first conference special teams performer of the week recognition.
Receiving honorable mention for Central were quarterback Blaine Hawkins (freshman, Ankeny), defensive lineman Justin Dilks (senior, Mount Pleasant) and linebacker Josh Scheible (senior, Kansas City, Mo., Liberty HS)
Central finished in second place in the conference with a 6-2 record and 7-3 overall.
